Knitted fabric and method of making same



NOV. 25, 1941. I BlALOSTOK 2,264,016

KNITTED FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed May 26, 1941 ZSheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. MAX B/ALOSTOK ATTORNEY.

Nov. 25, 1941- BIALOSTOK 2,264,016

KNITTED FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed May 26, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR MAX B/ALOSTOK ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 25, 1941 r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KNITTED FABRIC AND METHOD MAKING SAME 3 Claims.

This invention relates to novel knitting method and to the knitted fabric produced by the same.

The invention contemplates a novel knitting method for producing a knitted fabric having an area formed to represent a cable.

The invention further contemplates improving the appearance of the cable-formed area after the material has been removed from the knitting machine.

The invention also contemplates the provision in a knitting machine of a novel form of cam for operating upon the needles of said machine to form desired stitches for obtaining the cable design.

The invention is preferably carried out on a standard form of flat knitting machine wherein the fabric is knitted as will be hereinafter described.

The objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become more clearly evident from the following detailed specification in which a method as at present practiced, is described and which describes a knitted fabric made according to said method. The specification is based on the accompanying drawings which show in both diagrammatic and pictorial form the instrumentalities employed in carrying out the method and the fabric produced thereby.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a knitted fabric made in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the various areas knitted to make up the cabled design.

Fig. 4 is, an enlarged transverse diagrammatic sectional view thereof.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate two types of needles used in the knitting method.

Fig. 7 is a rear view of a cam designed to move the needles to knit the fabric shown in Figs, 1 and 2.

Referring more particularly to the upper portion of Fig, 1, the fabric is knitted with a body H] which may be formed with any usual type of stitch such as a rib stitch, a jersey stitch, and various types of other stitches either full or half cardigan.

The body incorporates the contemplated cable design which is generally shown at II. This design is formed in the following preferred manner.

The fiat knitting machine which is employed for carrying out the present method is provided with low butt, preferably shorter needles l2, and high butt, relatively longer needles I3 so arranged in the needle plates of the machine as to knit the respective areas A and B diagrammatically shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The low butt needles l2 knitting the areas A preferably are arranged to knit a full cardigan stitch and these needles are preferably shorter than the remaining needles in the machine so that a looser stitch is made for reasons later apparent. The high butt needles [3 which knit the areas B preferably knit a jersey tuck stitch to obtain a fullness in said areas which is illustrated by the bulges M of Fig. 4, and may be seen in Fig. 1. 1

It is desired that the stitches of the body III of the fabric be arranged in a straight line as illustrated. To obviate the influence of the zigzag formation of stitches of the areas A and B upon the body III of the fabric, the shorter needles I! are employed to form the mentioned looser stitches in the areas A.

The zig-zag formation above mentioned and clearly shown in the drawings is formed by racking one of the needle-carrying plates of the machine with each formation of a course so that the knitting of each successive course is offset laterally with respect to each preceding course. Thus, a .bias knit in the contemplated area is formed. When the bias or zig-zag is to be reversed, the racking operation for said needle plate is omitted and each successive course thereafter will knit an oppositely directed bias to give the zig-zag appearance to the fabric.

Fig. '7 illustrates a novel form of cam employed in controlling the movement of the various needles used to form the cable stitch. When said cam moves in the direction of the arrow, its surface l5 engages the butts of both the needles I! and f3 to raise the same to the full height of the cam, as illustrated by the broken lines l6 and H, the former representing the path of movement for the high butt needles and the latter for the low butt needles. The latch cam member I8 serves to carry said needles to the full height of travel after the butts thereof pass beyond the cam surface IS. The cam surface I 9 will then restrict the needles to complete their cycle of motion. Thus, for the direction of movement of the cam indicated, both sets of needles for knitting the areas A and B are moved the full height of the cam.

Upon the return movement ofthe cam across the machine, the cam surface 20 and the cam surface 2| will engage and raise the high butt needles iii to the same degree as they were raised for the previously described movement of said cam.

However, the cam surface 2| is depressed with respect to the cam surface 20 so that th low butt needles l2 will not be engaged thereby but will follow the path shown by the broken line 22, passing beneath the latch cam member 18 to complete its course as shown. Thus, for the latter movement of the cam only the high butt needles are moved the 'full height, whereas the low butt needles are moved a lesser distance, approximately half that of the high butt needles.

The fabric knitted in the above indicated manner, has the appearance shown in the upper portion of Fig. 1 on its obverse side, and of the upper portion of Fig. 2 on its reverse side. The knitted fabric thus formed is usable in this condition and has the desired cable appearance. However, this appearance may be enhanced by drawing together and joining, at the rear of the fabric, the points 23 as by means of a tack 24 as shown in the lower portion of Fig. 2. This drawing together and joining of the opposed inwardly directed points of the zig-zag at the outer edges of the areas B, causes an increased bulging of the fabric as shown in the lower portion of Fig. 1. It is evident that this increased bulging of the fabric more clearly forms the knitted portions A and B into the cable design contemplated in this invention and the tacking is invisible from the front side of the fabric.

It should be apparent that even were the zigzag formations formed differently than herein described, the tack 24 would improve the resultant knitted fabric.

Instead of using the longer and shorter needles described, the needles may all be of the same length and the butts of those which are required to knit looser, may be made relatively thinner than the butts of the remaining needles.

From the foregoing it may be seen that a preferred novel method producing a knitted fabric having a new design has been described. No limitations in the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims has been intended since the present method may be varied within the knowledge of skilled knitters and a fabric produced which varies in detail from that disclosed.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a method for producing a simulated cable in a fabric having a knitted zlg-zag portion, the

steps of drawing together and then joining the opposed. inwardly directed points of the outer lateral edges of said zig-zag portion to cause a bulging of the same out of the plane of the remainder of the fabric.

2. A knitted fabric comprising a body portion, and a zig-zag area arranged therein, said area including spaced bulging areas following the line of the zig-zag area and a tack connecting the inwardly directed opposed points of the outer lateral edges of said bulging areas on the reverse side of the fabric to produce a simulated cable on the obverse side thereof.

3. A knitted fabric comprising a body portion, and a zig-zag area arranged therein, said area comprising spaced flat knitted portions and intermediate knitted bulging portions and a tack connecting the inwardly directed opposed points of the outer lateral edges of said bulging areas on the reverse side of the fabric to produce a simulated cable on the obverse side thereof.

MAX BIALOSTOK. 

